Author of

Macaron Tutorial

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Let's start with some administrative fun stuff: the winner of Carrie's cookbook is Susie from Return To Sunday Supper a brand new blogger on the food blogging scene. Congratulations! Email me your snail mail address at mytartelette {at} gmail {dot} com and I will drop the book in the mail.

And now on to more fun things brewing....

Until recently I was not sure what authors meant by "writing is a solitary process". As I am nearing the end of writing the manuscript for Foodography, I completely get it. I am never alone when I write. Bailey is snoring by my side on the couch and Tippy is somewhere sleeping in a corner dreaming he's chasing after a squirrel. The day is often punctuated by from my mother who wants to make sure I am taking all my vitamins and my husband who often sends me notes of support. So yes, I am not lonely. But it's just me and my thoughts.

The best place to write is really in the photo studio, filled with gorgeous and abundant natural light, my equipment, familiar props and linens, inspiration boards and favorite quotes. So far I have not experienced any writer's block. I am way too excited and grateful to be given the chance to share information and tips with you. I have kept all the email questions you sent on natural light, artificial light, composition, workflow and started answering your most frequent problems that way.

This book is really for you and as I am writing a couple of chapters on styling and composition, I thought they would be the perfect ones to have you participate some. Have you ever struggled with styling sandwiches? Beef pot pies maybe? How about handling ice cream for a beauty shot? Is it plating table sets that causes grief?

I am all ears! There's plenty of time and pages left in those chapters for me to include one of your most dreaded things to style and shoot. Yes! Go ahead and tell me what type of food you would like me to tackle! I will tabulate all the answers and pick one at random to cook, style and shoot. The person's whose suggestion is picked will receive a free copy of Foodography as soon as it is released in May!

Don't be shy...!

Finally I want to live you with this book teaser video that my dear friend Taylor from Taylor Takes A Taste, shot last week when he came to visit. He came to help me take shots of us taking shots, light set ups, etc..before driving us both to the Food Blog South conference that took place in Birmingham last weekend (you can read his recap here). He took his visit as an opportunity to practice even more his already excellent video skills. Thanks Taylor!

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comments:

A lovely post and please let Taylor Mathis know how much I appreciated his beautiful video.

I haven't quite made good friends with my camera yet, although I can finally say we've become acquaintances. However, I hope you can assist in dealing with a problem that I know will arise.

Our family's focus is on the food itself, the flavors and the textures. Presentation has always been secondary, and I am only starting to learn about photography. Great photography, like yours, takes time and presentation. If we are making food for our family, we intend to eat it. Taking the time to photograph it properly makes the food become cold. What suggestions do you have for those of us who enjoy writing about food, who would like our photos to become beautiful, but who also want to enjoy good meals?

Helene, I really struggle with photographing items that have a 'shiny' surface (like a glazed doughnut) and items that have a heterogeneous or mottled surface (like bread covered with seeds). Can you please offer any tips? Thank you!

Lael: I think it's a question of organization. All the food I shoot is eaten and eaten at its designated temperature. Nothing I photograph takes longer than 10 minutes unless it's for a cookbook. I start composing as I cook so when it's ready all I have to do is put things together on the table. We eat our food warm too you know!!

I think photographing soup has to be one of my biggest challenges... it never looks interesting enough to share. The soup my be the most satisfying thing I have made, but it doesn't look like it in photos. Would love tips on how to improve on photographing it!

Helene: I am so excited to see your book - your words and photographs are a constant source of inspiration to me.

I struggle the most with shooting ice cream. I style the shot before I remove the ice cream from the freezer, but am still rarely happy with the shot before the ice cream starts to melt. I would love to know your process of shooting beautiful shots of this frozen treat.

I have the most problem trying to figure out new ways on how to photograph the individual components (i.e. honey, spices, etc.) that make up the complete dish. I want to give life to the ordinary ingredients and not just have them laying on a plate or in a jar.

Yes! All of those! But most recently, I'd been trying to take a picture of a Greek souvlaki pita, and I ended up settling for a sorta decent shot (when compared to the others) after three months of trying. So looking forward to your book! It's really hard to find information on food styling and composition, and I'm so keen to learn.

Hi Helene, I am excited for your book! Can't wait.I think the toughest times I have had are trying to shoot meat. One shoot in particular- a hamburger. It just looked not very appealing. Brown lumpy surface. I've had the same issue with steak. So meat it is.Thanks so much for your work-Andrea

Congrats! I tend to encounter problems with food that is monochromatic - something like 40 clove chicken with a white wine sauce. Sure, you can put it on a pretty plate, but then I'm looking at the plate, not focusing on the food - isn't that the important part??

What a neat idea! You're book looks so wonderful! I can't wait to dig into it (can you dig into a book?! I'll find a way).One thing I just couldn't nail in the photo part of my kitchen adventures would have to be pictures of the process.. angles of that pot or mixing bowl full of scrummy tasting but unappealing looking pancake mix, pasta sauce, stirfry or casseroll.. they always turn out looking so darn awkward or tacky with the sheen of metal. Any hints?

I am such a fan of your photography! I would love to get your thoughts on how to make long pasta like spaghetti/linguine/cappelini/fettucine plate nicely, whether there there are chunks of other ingredients with the pasta or not. All the best!

That video is lovely very elegant. I'd really love to learn how to shoot Pork, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. It is a Pennsylvania Dutch New Year traditional meal and while it is delicious, and super easy to make its not exactly the prettiest dish, no color to speak of. I can't wait until the book comes out in May. Congratulations!

I'm definitely looking forward to the book - as a beginning food blogger, the photos are cause for much gnashing of teeth! My pet difficulty is "brown food", especially of a baked variety. I bake a lot of different types of brownies, and find that presenting them so they don't look like just the same thing over and over can be a real challenge. As well as how to take a beautiful shot of a brown square! Would love to know how to improve (for now, lots more practice is in order...)

I can't make chicken quarters look good. a whole chicken is fine, but when I try chicken bottoms or chicken drumsticks I'm at a loss. I tried googling for photos of chicken pieces but I have yet to see amazing shots of this. If anyone has a nice photo, please show me a link

It's so inspiring to know that you actually have fun with the huge project like writing a cookbook. The video is amazing, airy and filled with light - I adored every take.Now, to the challenge. I bake artisan breads. They are gorgeous as they come out of the oven, but shooting them is tad difficult with their uniform color of orange and brown that can so easily take over the tone and overpower the scene. What original props besides the usual linens, cutting boards, and burnt parchment would you consider for the shot? And the last question, what in your opinion, is the most complementing color palette to the said yellows-oranges-browns that breads impose? Thank you for considering to answer these questions. I would utterly enjoy the copy of the Foodography edition.

Taylor did such a great job on that video. I saw a gal above comment that meatloaf is tricky to shoot, i'll double dog dare you to take that one on.Watching you work in that video is so inspirational & very beautiful!

Wonderful video. Am so excited for this book! and I love seeing how meticulously you set up the soup photo. I hope you will talk a bit about lenses and camera angles in your book. Thanks for sharing the beauty.

I just wanted to say that I really love the photo of the stuffed round zucchini. Is that what they call a toybox squash? It looks absolutely delicious!

I'm not a professional photographer or food stylist by any means, but I would love to learn more about what types of serving dishes work best for photography - which colors, patterns vs solids, etc, and maybe even a bit about background compositions. I always notice how the backgrounds in your photos make the food pop.

Hi Helen, I love your blog and has constantly been trying out recipes for the past two-three years. Must say that I enjoyed alot of the desserts you prepare! I can't wait to get the book when it is launched.

I would love for you to include tips on how to style simple everyday foods - think the plain ol' chocolate chip cookies (so many recipes out there!) or muffins. It's these stuff that I bake most frequently, and after a while, it's like the styling gets a tad stale. Are there any tips on making the same everyday food look different and not repetitive?

i know that i should photograph in natural light. i hear it again and again. but i work during the day and by the time i get home and make dinner, for 9 months out of the year, it is pretty dark. any suggestions?

Well you just answered one of my questions in the video - how do you wipe the inevitable tide marks you get round the rim of a soup bowl? Answer: with a cotton bud. Can't wait for the book to come out. I suppose my main question is - how do you make less photogenic food (like stews and casseroles) look appealling?

I find that soups and stews are particularly tough to style and shoot, but the worst has to be meats and chicken. How can I make a short rib look or a piece of pork? I think those are nearly impossible.

I recently attempted to photograph ingredients used in baking (e.g., milk, sugar, vanilla, chocolate, eggs, measuring spoons, flour, and cocoa powder). I am not sure how I should place the items on the table in order to get all the ingredients in one frame. I probably took over 300 shots and was dissatisfied with each.

Some short answers because I know I would end up writing the content of the book and I plan to do more in depth demos to accompany the book release. 270 pages are filled up fast and there is nothing like hands on... but in the meantime:

Gosia: do a quick Google search for "color wheel" and look at complimentary and opposite colors. Oranges and browns pair very well with shades of blue. In my pics where there is orange, there is always a hit of blue. Does not have to be a lot but enough to divert the eye. A blue napkin, a glass, a plate, etc...

Chaptstick fanatic: there is a whole chapter on artificial light targeting all sorts of budgets, spaces, timings, etc...I hope you will find something that works for you. In the meantime and for a very cheap and quick fix, have you ever thought about getting a fluorescent Lowel Ego bulb? Not the whole light, just the bulb, that you fix on one of your existing lamp with an opaque lampshade to diffuse the light? Then take your camera white balance to tungsteen or fluorescent to take down the yellows and oranges and get more neutral and cooler colors. Do not direct the light right at your food but place it to the side and a white cardboard to the other side. Hope that helps you a bit.

Michelle: unfortunately, there is not much a stylist can do for that, that really falls down in the creative space of composing. I remember struggling with cookies and ended up buying a single themed cookbook on them with great pictures. Just looking at those unlocked some of my creative blocks.

Sally: yes, there is a whole chapter on camera modes, settings, focal length, and another one on composing with camera view points, etc...

Julie: I think that's more a question of composing than styling. What type of lens do you use? a 50mm and wider angle lenses will let you incorporate more ingredients in one shot. Do you shoot overhead or straight on? Overhead with a wide lens will give you more space to work with.

This is not exactly a food, but do you have tips on how to shop props on the budget? For bloggers who aren't doing blogs for the money or not creating enough revenue, it could be challenging to spend a lot of money on buying plates, cups, utensils, etc. It also creates the storage problem, too.

I've often had problem styling photos for things like soups, stews, or curries. Just because they often end up looking a bit, well, sloppy - this may be down to plates, bowls, accessories, but tips would be great!

I'm also in the midst of writing a book right now and am definitely having to give myself an extra boost of social-stuff when I'm free - it's a pretty lonely process!

My question is pie. Not a quiche or cheesecake that's got a good solid from when you cut it. More like a messy fruit pie like blueberry or cherry. Do you have tips for getting it to keep some shape? Or do you just embrace the messiness?

I simply cannot wait for your book to release. I have so many questions that my mind is currently blank. One I can think about is white balance issues- what setting to use on the camera? Would you use daylight setting or custom setting? And perhaps a little bit about post processing techniques! Thanks so much! Oh can I add one more- perhaps not as much to do with photography but how does one get into it ''professionally?'' Thanks once again!

Helene, I'm just dropping to tell you I couldn't agree more with you on that "writing is a solitary process," solitary in the sense that just me and my thoughts and those surrounding me seem to be of non-existence. Seriously, that's what that happens to me whenever I write. However, I do have writer's block, a lot, since I writer for a living.

I've already preordered your book on Amazon so winning it is not a big deal, but guess I could and have my own contest!

I struggle with brown liquid items. Soups, stews and the like. I love lentil soup but have yet to make it for the blog because it looks like mud! I would love to see how you work with that; assuming some color in the props but still...you are the pro!

Your work is amazing! I'm photography challenged anyway, but as I try to share pictures on my blog I've found it very difficult to take pictures of one-dish meals. Whether I make them in one bigger dish or smaller, individual size ones I find it hard to capture the whole idea of the dish in one shot.

Lick My Spoon: yes, all these points will be covered in dept in the book. Re-WB, it depends of what light circumstances I am in. Today, I want to give people the chance to tell me what styling issue they have. Processing is covered too but remember that this is a highly personal preference.

Kitchen M: we are on a budget too! I shop ebay, amazon, etsy, World Market, Goodwill and small vintage stores around the house. I am able to find great deals that way! Get yards of fabric you like instead of napkins and tablecloths. Look outside the box, votive candle plates make great dessert plates because they are small and usually cheaper. Shop the sales for non-timely china like bistro whites and such... I don't have tons (agreed more than average) but I refuse to pay full price too :)

Pei-Lin: I do also write for a living but I think the subject matters are what causes writers block. Recipes or techniques are different than fiction I am sure!

I have a hard time photographing desserts that are in glass containers, such as verrines. It is a styling problem, but also I get glare sometimes too. Souffles are tricky--they are one of my favourite things, but I have a hard time getting any good photos before they fall. Am so looking forward to your book.

It's ironic that the video featured you styling soup, since that's what I seem to be struggling to style and shoot the most. And other things with a relatively flat (and boring) surface, like some tarts or flat cookies. I am really looking forward to your book!

I cannot wait for your book! I would love to learn more about styling pizza. I always have the most trouble with it, maybe because it's so flat, but it's hard for me not to take the same pic each time I make a new pizza....

I think soup is very difficult to photograph as is something like a casserole/stew. The colour sort of meld together and the surface is shiny. Any tips would be wonderful. I enjoyed the vedeo of a shoot all coming together.

I would love to hear about photographing soups that have been puréed - they're not all that attractive in real life, and in the photo they usually come out as mush. Do you put a spoon? Sprinkle it with things? And sometimes it reflects light weirdly... anyhow, your soups look gorgeous, so any insight would be great!

I just had a chance to visit your blog today to find that I had won the cookbook! I really look forward to receiving it, not only for the recipes, but to enjoy all of your beautiful photography! What a wonderful thrill for a new blogger like me to win a cookbook shot by one of my favorite bloggers.

wonderful video and photography as usual. I would love to see how you would cook/style/photograph a serving of long pasta, i.e. spaghetti or tagliatelle with a sauce. Something like bolognaise or chunky with veg/meat/seafood. Either my pasta looks too arranged and strange with sauce in no particularly attractive place or just plain messy.

Anyway, congrats on the book. Cant wait for it to come out. Good luck with the rest of your writing!

And Helene - you wanted questions for your book...I can tell by your video that you will have enough in writing to fill my head - as you have always done on these pages. More videos like that... a couple of photo shoots in different light - would be priceless... I would buy!:)

One of my biggest photography challenges is getting a slice of cake to look good. Carrot cake is all crumbly and brown and the frosting gets mushed in there, and if you refrigerate it first before slicing, it looks dried out. Same with coconut cake.

Fragolina: yes, there is an entire chapter on natural light and an entire chapter on artificial light. I will never stress enough that a pro camera won't get you far without understanding how either or both work though. I learned how to use both with a Point& Shoot which I used for the first 1.5 years of having this blog. I only upgraded to a dSLR in December 2008 and to a pro model in December 2009 and only because I need the extra pixels for book and magazine prints, not because it was "better".

Fragolina: yes, there is an entire chapter on natural light and an entire chapter on artificial light. I will never stress enough that a pro camera won't get you far without understanding how either or both work though. I learned how to use both with a Point& Shoot which I used for the first 1.5 years of having this blog. I only upgraded to a dSLR in December 2008 and to a pro model in December 2009 and only because I need the extra pixels for book and magazine prints, not because it was "better".

Helene,Your upcoming book looks simply phenomenal! I can't wait to see it. That video was almost too much of a teaser to handle :). As for things I struggle most with styling and shooting, I really have trouble with confits - especially something like onion confit. I also find chicken legs terribly difficult because of their funny angles and bones. And lastly, anything oily (which gets back to the confit as well). I would love advice on any of those!~Emily

As I am quite new in blogging and food photography many things are quite a challenge for me. But first thing came to my mind as I read your post was a hot chocolate fondant cake with ice cream. I would like to show the liquidity of the still hot cake and ice which is not melting as long as I´m preparing the shot. I would very appreciate you tips.

soup... stew... casseroles... I find them all difficult to photograph attractively. Also, I'd love to see some tips on taking photos of a table-full of food/dishes/etc. Mine always come out looking either boring or cluttered.

Yes! Houmous, beans - or brown things in general. My favourite things to make for myself are pots of pulses, whether lentil and coconut curry or cabbage and chickpea stew. But they never look friendly enough for company. "I've made hippy food again," I end up saying to my flatmate...

Waiting to see your book. Am sure it will be outstandingly gorgeous!I live in a small apartment on the ground floor and since the only free time I get to photograph is late in the evenings I miss out on natural light. What would be a good and preferably easy way to tackle this with artificial light? Also I try to take pics of food with my just turned one year old and its almost impossible to get a good shot- or even a bad one with him and the food in the same frame!

WONDERFUL NEWS Tarty!!!I'm so pleased that you found your book. It's perfection. The video instantly communicated the care and love you put into every photograph.I know it will be a big hit for all.BRAVOXXXcarolg

Just want to say I am super excited for your book to come out, I want to learn and learn more about food photography.I recently made Date Squares and had trouble making them look...appetizing? maybe you could address this?Here is my post to show you what I mean, thanks!http://www.to-bake.blogspot.com/

My question is about lens choice. I can not seem to find a lens that works for me. I struggle with the "end" picture of the food. The "money shot". Sometimes, I forget to take it entirely! When I do remember, I struggle with the composition. Do I plate the food with side dishes or garnishes? Just shoot the finished dish as is?

Fruit cobblers are one of my biggest problems. I really see no other option than to go messy and natural and shoot from above, but I've done this about 4 times already! The fruit sauce can look too thin and then too congealed once it cools a little and thickens.

I am eagerly awaiting your book... I believe it will truly fill a void as most books available are simply on styling without the photography tips... some are incredible, but are extremely focused on tricks with dyes and chemicals, etc. Other books simply do not have the beautiful photos that you have to lend their book any credibility.

Others have asked a lot about artificial light on here... I moved into a house with very bad natural light options and now shoot almost exclusively at night. I bought very cheap "daylight" balanced fluorescent lights with umbrellas on Amazon... then diffused the heck out of them by pointing them into the umbrella than wrapping the whole rig in wedding veil fabric I bought at a craft store. White balancing is a must, especially custom white balance... anyone with a dslr should look into these awesome white balancing lens caps called Vivicaps... I can't live without them. Shot these cookies in the middle of the night a few days ago...

I have a hard time styling kid's food. I'm thinking birthday parties or little sandwiches, things like that, baby food is specially hard. I know it shouldn't be hard because it's usually colorful and what not but I honestly have a really hard time. I'm really looking words to your book and I hope you talk a little about styling baby food, or finger foods. I've looked everywhere for a resource to help me and have had no luck.

Hello Helene!I love your blog, and congratulations on Foodography! My question is how do you decide what you want to have in the picture? Sometimes you include ingredients with a finished product; other times the picture might be a stack of cookies and a glass of milk. It is especially difficult when the food I am making has very little contrast in color (like alfredo on pasta, a basic soup or bisque, or even bread). I would love to know how you play with options and end up picking the best pictures. Thanks for the inspiration!

I think that style wise all Asian foods are great, the numerous colors are rich and contrast each other brilliantly. I would go for noodles with other items.

Another suggestion could be sandwiches. They are so simple but crusty French/Italian bread filled with proscuitto ham, any cheese, some olives, salad and sun dried tomatoes would be excellent. However, the filling could be suited for your tastes.

Helene, as always - love your photos and the video captures your personal elegance mixed with your spirit of fun. One of the problems I have with food photos is understanding HOW to get the picture I'm really after - ie.. the mood I'm trying to create, how light is affecting that and how what I see on the camera varies from what turns out on the computer. I wait, impatiently, for your awesome book! :D

Oh my, oh my! My biggest disaster was attempting to photo a lovely persimmon cake I baked. It was nighttime and nothing I did made a photo of that cake look the least appealing! So my problems are dealing with nighttime shots, and dark food! OK, ok, so those are not my only problems, but at least the ones I will post!

Oh, and I also tried taking photos of just the persimmons, but it was SO uninteresting! What would you do?

I am looking VERY forward to your book!! Can't wait to get my hands on this!! OH May is s-o-o-o-o far away...Blessings,~Mrs. R

I'm so excited for you! I ran across some of our first interactions via each other's blogs the other day and I just had to smile. You've come so far lady. You deserve all the love, acclimation and praise. You are such a talent and such a wonderful person. I'm glad to know you.

I find it difficult to photograph blueberries - they tend to suck up the light. Unlike blackberries and strawberries that seem to reflect it nicely, blueberries just suck all the pretty light and they just look blah.

Hello HeleneI was wondering how you tackled food photography when time and speed was an important factor, the most obvious example being a souffle but there are other things which, if not photographed straight away they change their consistency and don't look the same. Thanks!

I'm not sure if this has already been voiced but I am in need of serious help with creating and styling cheese plates for when I entertain.

How to make a visually appealing cheese plate is something many brilliant food stylists have attempted to illustrate and with little success in my opinion. After reading their instructions I find that mine still are without style and grace.

I would love to see your take on styling a gorgeous cheese presentation.

Hello Helene,Me again. This goes without saying because I know you will include some information about it but the other technical question would be some advice on which lenses are best for (food) macro photography for both Nikon and Canon. Thanks!

The video is lovely and you make the styling look so easy! If only it were so, my styling on cooked food really needs a lot of attention. I can't wait for your book to come out, I will definitely be first in the queue! Congratulations!

hi Helene I know you have several recipes of macaroons but i was wondering if you have made any videos i have tried your recipes several times but they look a little off some times and i know this is silly because i have never tasted one that was store bought but a video would really help thanks